Collapsible ornament



Oct-0 1962 J. WCVIJOLVEN 3,060,609

COLLAPSIBLE ORNAMENT 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed June 29. 1959 Oct. 30, 1962 J. L. WOOLVEN 3,050,609

COLLAPSIBLE ORNAMENT Filed June 29. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 State My invention relates to new and useful improvements in folding decorations, particularly multi pointed star decorations as exemplified in US. patents numbered 2,787,- 073 and 2,644,260. While these folding decorations are eminently suitable for the purpose for which they are designed, nevertheless, I have found that the strings used to erect these decorations tend to tear the decorations where said string passes through apertures therein, particularly when decorations are used without care being taken to avoid this occurrence.

Furthermore, the types of decoration described in the above patents are not particularly suitable for use with an internal light, due to the difiiculty in supporting same without the surface of the lamp coming into contact with the interior of the decoration with subsequent deleterious effect on the material used.

I have overcome these disadvantages by providing a multi faceted center section having a pair of decorative elements secured thereto and extending radially from opposite sides of the center section. I also provide a plurality of decorative element hingedly connected together around a central area whereby the plurality of elements are adapted to engage over one of the elements of the center section and the elements then erect themselves around the center section by means of gravity.

By making the center section hollow, I have found that a lamp may easily be supported therein to illuminate the decoration without the inherent disadvantages here and above referred to.

I have also found that the decoration is easily erected and dismantled by unskilled hands without the possibility of damage occurring thereto.

The principal object and essence of my invention is, therefore, to provide a collapsible decoration adapted to be illuminated, which is easily erected and disassembled without the necessity of strings, cords or other means.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the center section is easily opened for access to the interior lamp for replacement purposes and the dike.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which may readily be formed with 12, 14 or 20 elements as desired.

A yet further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the plurality of elements may either be permanently hingedly secured around the base of one of the center section elements or, alternatively, may be detachable therefrom, de pending upon the choice of the manufacturer.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which lends itself readily to many designs and decorative elements.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture, and otherwise well suited for the purpose for which it is designed.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of 3,060,609 Patented Oct; 30, 1962 the center section of my device, showing the plurality of decorative elements in perspective thereabove and in position to be engaged over one of the decorative elements extending from the center section.

FIGURE 2 shows an embodiment, partially erected, in which the plurality of decorative elements are hingedly secured around the base of one of the decorative elements extending from the center section.

FIGURE 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the center section.

FIGURE 4 shows a further embodiment of the center section.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of the center section shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 shows a further embodiment of the center section.

FIGURE 7 shows a yet further embodiment of the center section.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary transverse section of FIG URE 5 substantially along the lines 8-8 thereof.

FIGURE 9 shows a center section adapted for a 20 element decoration.

FIGURE 10 shows a center section adapted for a 14 point decoration.

FIGURE 11 is a view at right angles to FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 shows in reduced scale, the schematic underside view of the plurality of elements required for the 14 point center section shown in FIGURES 10 and 11.

FIGURE 13 shows in reduced scale, the schematic underside view of the plurality of elements required for the 20 point center section shown in FIGURE 9.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Proceeding, therefore, to describe my invention in detail, reference should first be made to FIGURES 1, 5 and 8, in which I illustrate a center section collectively designated 1 for a decoration of 12 elements. This center section comprises a multi faceted portion or body 2, the facets 3 of which are pentagonal. Secured to the upper side 4 and the lower side 5 of the portion 2, are decorative element 6, each consisting in this embodiment of a five sided decorative polyhedron in the form of a star point. These points may either be cemented to the sides 4 and 5 or, as shown in FIGURE 8, may be formed integrally therewith.

In the accompanying drawings, the center section and the decorative elements are shown to be hollow but, it will be appreciated, that if desired, the star points may be solid or of recessed configuration depending upon the choice of the manufacturer.

All of the center sections shown in the attached drawing are adapted to be opened along the transverse axes thereof and are thus provided with a hinge 7 and a catch 8. Inasmuch as the hinges and catches that may be used are conventional, further description thereof is not necessary.

The portion 2, being hollow, is therefore particularly well suited to receive a source of illumination such as an electric bulb 9 engageable within a bulb socket 10 which is held within the center section by conventional means (not illustrated) and which may be connected to a conventional source of electrical energy by means of wires 11 extending through one of the star points 6 and exiting at the apex 12 thereof, as clearly shown in FIGURE 1.

Also shown in FIGURE 1 is a plurality of decorative elements collectively designated 13, the individual elements 14 of which are similar in size and configuration to the star points 6. However, it will be appreciated that the configuration of these elements 14 also may vary as hereinbefore described with reference to the before mentioned star point 6.

In this embodiment, the plurality of elements 14 are hingedly connected together and consist of an inner group 15 and an outer group 16. The bases 17 of all of these elements 15 and 16 are pentagonal and the inner sides 18 of the inner group 15 are hingedly secured around a central area 19. In this embodiment a pentagonal wire forms the central area 19 and the sides 18 of the inner group 15 are hingedly connected around the wire 20 by means of simple hinges 21.

The bases of all of the elements are, in this embodiment, also formed of wire so that the outer group 16 may be hingedly connected to the outer sides 22 of the inner group 15 by similar hinges.

It should also be observed that the perimetrical configuration of the bases of the elements 13 is similar to the perimetrical configuration of the facets 3 of the center section 1.

In operation of this embodiment, one of elements 6 of the center section is engaged through the central area 19 of the elements 13 so that the wire 20 bounding the central area 19 engages around the perimetrical base 23 of the element 6. The elements 13 are then released and they fall by gravity to surround the center section, each of the elements of the group 13 engaging a corresponding facet 3 of the center section so that a completely symmetrical erected decoration results. It will be noted that the elements 13 consist of ten elements 14 and these, together with the two elements 6 of the center section form a twelve point decoration.

In order to disassemble the device, the upper most element 6 of the center section is grasped and the decoration turned upside down so that the elements 14 collapse to the position shown in FIGURE 1 and can readily be disengaged from the center section for storage purposes and the like.

FIGURE 2 shows an embodiment of FIGURE 1 which consists of a center section 1 constructed in a similar manner to that shown in FIGURE 1, and a plurality of elements collectively designated 13 constructed in a similar manner also to those hereinbefore described.

The principal difference between these two embodiments is the fact that the elements 13 are secured hingedly to the base 23 of the element 6 by means of the central area 19 surrounding this base so that instead of being detachable as shown in FIGURE 1, they merely fold upwardly as shown by four of the points or elements in FIGURE 2.

In FIGURE 2 it will be seen that all but four of the elements 13 are engaging the facets 3 of the center section by gravity and that these four will fall into position upon the base facets quite readily. In this connection base 15' will engage facet 3' and base 16 will engage facet 3".

FIGURES 1 and 2 refer to twelve-pointed elements but the construction and arrangement of this device is readily adaptable to fourteen or twenty-pointed arrays. FIGURES 10, 11 and 12 refer to fourteen-pointed devices and it will be seen that the center area 19 is four sided with the inner group of elements 15 having triangular bases. I-Iingedly connected to one side of these bases is a middle group 15' having four sided bases and hingedly connected to one side of this middle group 15 is an outer group of elements 16 having triangular bases. Once again these are erected by gravity with the bases of the various elements engaging the facet 3 of the central portion.

In this connection, and as an example, the base specifically designated 24 in FIGURE 12 will engage the facets specifically designated 25 in FIGURE 11, the base 26 will engage the square shaped facets 27 and the base 28 will engage the facets 29.

FIGURES 9 and 13 show the arrangement for a twentypointed decoration. In this case all of the facets 3 are equilateral triangles and all of the bases of the elements are also triangular in configuration.

In this instance the central area 39 is triangular and has an inner group 40 of elements hingedly secured to the three sides thereof. One side 41 of each of the inner groups of elements has an array of three further elements 42 hingedly secured together and the other side 43 has an array of two elements 44 hingedly secured together, thus making three sets of six elements which are adapted to engage by gravity around the facets 3 of the center portion.

FIGURES 3, 4, 6 and 7 show variations in the construction of the central sections 1 and reference to FIG- URE 3 will show that the central portion 45 is substantially spherical with partial facets 46 formed thereon.

FIGURE 4 shows the facets 3 formed adjacent the bases 4 of the elements 6 but in this embodiment, the perimetrical area 47 is recessed adjacent the transverse axis which facilitate the engagement of the elements around the various facets.

FIGURE 6 shows a central section in which the central portion is connected to the elements 6 by a plurality of ribs 48 extending from adjacent the transverse axis 49 inwardly to be secured to the bases 50 of the elements 6. In this connection the formation of the ribs forms the facets for engagement of bases of the associated elements 13.

In FIGURE 7, the facets 3 are formed on the central portion 51 and this central portion is connected to the bases 52 of the elements 6 by means of reduced shoulders 53.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A collapsible decoration, comprising in combination, a supporting center section including a hollow body having upper and lower facets and a plurality of angularly disposed lateral facets, upper and lower polyhedron members projecting respectively upwardly and downwardly from the respective upper and lower facets of said body, and a complemental polyhedron unit supported by said center section, said unit comprising a plurality of polyhedron elements having bases with contiguous edge portions hingedly connected together, said polyhedron elements being arranged in a group defining an opening at the center of the group, the upper polyhedron member of said center section being received in and projecting upwardly through said opening on said polyhedron unit whereby to support the latter on said center section with said bases of said polyhedron elements being sustained by gravity in abutment with said lateral facets of said body.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 together with a perimetric frame provided on said polyhedron unit at the edge of said opening and having said polyhedron elements hingedly connected thereto.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said hollow body of said center section comprises a pair of complemental body members having separable abutting edges disposed in a transverse plane intermediate said upper and lower facets of the body, and a hinge provided at one side of said body and connecting said body members together.

4. The device as defined in claim 3 together with a releasable catch provided at the relatively opposite side of said body with respect to said hinge for holding the separable edges of the body members in abutment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 559,050 Carman Apr. 28, 1896 1,292,188 Wheeler Ian. 21, 1919 2,139,512 Nagorny Dec. 6, 1938 2,644,260 Woolven July 7, 1953 2,650,874 Woolven Sept. 1, 1953 2,907,130 Burnbaum Oct. 6, 1959 

